On the soft edge – Instant pizza sandwich

At times – when we’re too tired to eat and too hungry to sleep – only a slice of soggy pizza will do. And the microwave becomes our best friend as we’re heating the fat edge from a store-bought pizza until the mozzarella starts to bubble.

A sprinkle of salt and cayenne pepper, a handful of rocket, and a drizzle of olive oil later, the soft crust gets folded in two and eaten over a plate. Because, the last thing you want is to ruin your pajamas.

It’s an almost instant sandwich for those of you who – like us – seem to choose gooey over crisp, but only in the comfort of our home.

And I do see you coming with blahs and sighs. But most importantly, what’s your very own hidden – not to say, controversial – pleasure?

I like to sit in front of a movie with a teaspoon, a jar of tahini and a jar of honey.. a spoonful of honey dunked into the tahini never fails to get me all excited. The bad part is that I can go through at least half a jar of each in one sitting.. gulp.

Have you ever tried taralli? From south Italy, little olive-oil baked breadsticks, curled around on themselves like snails. Addictive.

Otherwise, when I was littler, even more irresponsible, I would make a plate of buttered croutons for breakfast. (Melt a big chunk of butter on a baking tray in a hot oven. Cube two slices of homemade bread, toss in butter, bake for 5-10 minutes.) Possibly served with a fresh strawberry milkshake. :)

Nothing at all wrong with squishy pizza – it’s a little more how they have it in Italy, and a little bit like cheese on toast… perfect! My guilty snacking lately involves licking the bowl of whatever’s getting baked (with the aid of a pastry scraper), cereal for supper (given half a chance), and lentil patties cooked on the sandwich press (for a healthy and super-quick dinner more nights than I care to name!). Feel better about that pizza now…?

Ahhh, thank you for not being a food snob! Microwave pizza may be one of my guilty pleasures, along with Kraft American Cheese slices for grilled cheese sandwiches…I know it’s not real cheese but I cannot resist the gooey-ness.